Updates from the VP & the Research Office

Category Archives: Research Integrity

Our research funding success (as reported in the recent media release) is a tribute, of course, to the brilliant, dedicated work of all in our research enterprise. I congratulate faculty, technicians, support staff, administrative units, post-docs, and students. In addition to the big-picture data that gains public attention are the back-door stories.

Increased funding means increased administrative tasks. In the Research Office, we have been working diligently to decrease the burden of red tape and paperwork on researchers. The new Cayuse electronic system for submission of proposals was an important move toward fewer human errors and greater efficiency. It also has involved learning curves for many. I thank Pat Hawk and her Office of Sponsored Programs staff for their flexibility, patience, and training efforts, keeping up with their amazing services while – mid-air – converting to a new system. We also appreciate all the faculty who have stepped outside their comfort zone to try that new system. We are celebrating that Cayuse indeed is galloping forward to make proposal processing easier for PIs. We greatly appreciate Eric Anundson, Cindy Rasberry, Kim Reese, Lin Reilly, Aedra Reynolds, Dawn Wagner, and Vickie Watkins (and, until recently, Laurel Neidigh).

Another story related to funding is our growing success in partnering with industry. We anticipate great results through innovative strategies being established by Ron Adams. Brian Wall and his Office for Commercialization and Corporate Development staff have steadily upped the pace of commercialization, licensing, and new business development. We have created new positions and recruited fantastic colleagues to support increasing opportunities to bring the benefit of research out to the public. Credit goes to Mitch Abrams, Shirley Chow, Kirt Fuller, Jianbo Hu, Mary Phillips, Denis Sather, Ann Schmierer, Susan Tillitt, and Berry Treat (and, until recently, Dan Whitaker).

The Office of Research Integrity plays an important role in our success. While we still seek a new director, Rich Holdren has been leading the efforts of the talented and smart people who help us ensure compliance with regulations, so our research progress is unencumbered. The team includes Kevin Buch, Stephen Durkee, Susan Glowacz, Jillian Grant, Helen Diggs, Lisa Leventhal, Candi Loeb, Mary Samuel, and Nicole Wolf.

Our Incentive Programs make the difference in moving many OSU projects forward. Across campus, work has been enhanced because Rich Holdren and Debbie Delmore make it possible to provide significant internal funding for general purposes, release time, equipment, and undergraduate projects. They also coordinate our university’s opportunities for limited-submission programs.

As director of Post Doctoral Programs, and liaison between the Graduate School and the Research Office, Barb Bond has been innovative in supporting researchers who are too-often unheralded. For one thing, the new Post-Doc organization will help strengthen the contributions of that important group.

I am well-aware that I could not keep up the front-line work without the many and varied services of our central staff. Please join me in thanking Tracy Elmshaeuser, Stephen Hotard, Deb Walker and Jana Zvibleman (and until recently, Erika Fleck) for their accomplishments. We all have also enjoyed help from some of Oregon State’s finest students.

“Space, the New Frontier!”

– Helen Diggs’ quip about the common challenge the Research Office shares with many across campus

While Research Office has bid farewell to a few members of our team this year, we have had a net increase in staff to carry the load, and so we’ve been knocking our elbows against the Kerr walls. The need for more office space to accommodate our new members has resulted – so far – in a temporary fix. That’s why, to find some of us, you’ll be coming to the 4th floor of Snell; others have shifted to different locations on the 3rd floor of Kerr. It is a priority that the services of the Research Office remain easily accessible to the campus community – stay tuned to hear of the better, long-term solution (i.e., where we’ll unpack our boxes).

Again I thank all in our research community for your perseverance and for your successes. We can all take pride in how, together, we are working to enhance health, the environment, and the economy – that’s still our news.Thank You

Our research funding success as reported in the press release [[url xxx]] is a tribute, of course, to the brilliant, dedicatedwork of all in our research enterprise.I congratulated faculty,technicians, support staff, administrative units, post-docs, and students. In addition to the big-picture data that gains public attention, there are stories “under the hood.”

Increased funding means increased administrative tasks. In the Research Office, wehave been working diligently to decrease the burden of red tape and paperwork on researchers. The new Cayuse electronic system for submission of proposals was an important move toward fewer human errors and greater efficiency. It also has involved learning curves for many. I thank Pat Hawk and her Office of Sponsored Programs staff for their flexibility, patience, and training efforts, keeping up with their amazing services while- mid-air- converting to a new system. We also appreciate all the faculty who have stepped outside their comfort zone to try that new system. We are celebrating that Cayuse indeed is galloping forward to make proposal processing easier for PIs. We greatly appreciate Eric Anundson, Cindy Rasberry, Lin Reilly, Aedra Reynolds, Dawn Wagner,and Vickie Watkins (and, until recently, Laurel Neidigh).

Another story related to funding is our growing success in partnering with industry. We anticipate great results innovative strategies being commandeered by Ron Adams. Brian Wall and his Office for Commercialization and Corporate Development staff have steadily upped the pace of commercialization, licensing, and new business development.We have created new positions and recruited fantastic colleagues to support increasing opportunities to bring the benefit of research out to the public. Credit goes to Mitchell Abrams, Shirley Chow, Kurt Fuller, Jianbo Hu, Mary Foley Phillips, Denis Sather, Ann Schmierer,Susan Tillitt, andBerry Treat (and, until recently, Dan Whitaker).

The Office of Research Integrity plays an important role in oursuccess. While we still seek a new director, Rich Holdren has been leading the efforts of the talented and smart people who help us ensure compliance with regulations, so our research progress is unencumbered. The talented team includes Kevin Buch, Stephen Durkee, Susan Glowacz, Jillian Grant, Lisa Leventhal, Candi Loeb, Mary Samuel, and Nicole Wolf.

Our Incentive Programs make the difference in moving many OSU projects forward. Across campus, work has been enhanced because Rich Holdren and Debbie Delmore make it possible to provide significant internal funding for general purposes, release time, equipment, and undergraduate projects. They alsocoordinate our university’s opportunities for limited-submission programs.

As director of Post Doctoral Programs, and liaison between the Graduate School and the Research Office, Barb Bond has been innovative in supporting researchers who are too-often un-heralded. For one thing, the new Post-Doc organization willhelp strengthen the contributions of that important group.

I am well-aware that I could not keep up the front-line work without the many and varied services of our central staff. Please join me in thanking Tracy Elmshaeuser, Stephen Hotard,Deb Walker and Jana Zvibleman (and until recently, Erika Fleck) for their accomplishments.

“Space, the new frontier!”

– Helen Diggs’ quip about the common challenge the Research Officeshares with many across campus

While Research Officehas bid farewell to a few members of our team this year, we have had a net increase in staff to carry the load, and so we’ve been knocking our elbows against the Kerr walls.The need for more office space to accommodate our new members has resulted – so far – in a temporary fix. That’s why, to find some of us,you’ll be coming to the 4th floor of Snell while others have shifted to different locations on the 3rdfloor of Kerr. It is a priority that the services of the RO remain easily accessible to the campus community – stay tuned to hear of thebetter, long-term solution (i.e., where we’ll unpack our boxes).

Thank You

Again I thank all in the RO research community for your perseverance and for your successes. We can all take pride in how, together, we are working to enhance health, the environment, and the economy– that’s still our news.

Steve Durkee, Oregon State University’s administrator of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of the Office of Research Integrity, says, “Lives are saved because of research animals. Caring people make sure the animals are taken care of.”

See his recent article in Speaking of Research, a publication by an advocacy group that provides accurate information about the importance of animal testing in medical and veterinary science.

The Research Office Quiz 2011 debuted at the University Day expo. Here it is again, in case you missed the chance to figure out the answers, or want another go at it – or hope to stump your colleagues.

The winner of our U.Day quiz participation drawing is
Mike Hinds, IT Communication Manager for Information Services!
Mike will receive his choice of a book by an OSU author.

If you are not Mike, yet participated at the event, thank you – your prize can be a subscription to The Spin on Research. Congratulations!

Match each numbered question with an answer from the list below.

Which coffee shops are nearest the Research Office?

2. What is the least turn-around time you should allow for proposal review at the Office of Sponsored Programs (to avoid turning into a pumpkin)?

3.What are the values that inform the new OSU Research Agenda?

4. What system, named after a horse bred by a Native American tribe, will make your funding life easier?

5.Which unit in the Research Office may help get the results of your work out there to benefit your neighbors?

6. Say your project includes a simple survey to be filled out by dog owners. Which office should you consult with?

7.Why do two Research Office leaders have names starting with R-I-C ?

8. What green technology is available for able-bodied people to get up to the Research Office?

9. How can you get the inside scoop on the OSU research enterprise?

Match each question with its answers . . . from among the options below

I was invited to participate in a White House meeting on scientific integrity last week. This is a holdover from my time as a senior federal administrator, when, shortly after President Obama’s inauguration, he called for all federal agencies to develop strong policies supporting scientific integrity. The President’s Science Advisor, as well as Administrators of two federal agencies (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and United States Geological Survey) attended, as did the President of the National Academy of Sciences.

The issues we discussed at the meeting were fascinating, and relevant to all researchers, such as: prevention of muzzling of research, ensuring scientific results are used appropriately in development of policy, and fostering engagement by researchers with the media. We discussed how important these issues are in terms of sustaining a leadership role for the U.S. in science, technology, engineering and math.

We also had an engrossing discussion about the implications of social media on issues of scientific integrity. How do we consider the treatment of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube in the context of transmittal of scientific information? How do we ensure that high quality, accurate research results are fairly represented in such media, and that specious and inaccurate information is flagged as such? What lessons might we learn from Wikipedia and other such programs?

The issues associated with scientific integrity are manifold, and can become complicated quickly. I wonder whether there is interest in having a similar dialogue here, at OSU, among our research community. Let me know your thoughts.

Round Table participants (alphabetical): brief bios – please see more about the distinguished careers, accomplishments, and contributions on websites of the organizations represented.

Dr. Robert D. Ballard, University of Rhode Island, Director for the Center for Ocean Exploration at URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography, member of the President’s Commission on Ocean Policy.

Dr. Ralph Cicerone, National Academies of Science, President, and Chair of the National Research Council.

Dr. John Holdren, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Co-Chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Dr. Peter J. Lamb, University of Oklahoma, Professor in School of Meteorology and Director of Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies, was founding Chief Editor of the Journal of Climate, currently Editor of Meteorological Monographs.

Dr. Jane Lubchenco, NOAA, Administrator, and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.

Dr. Sandy MacDonald, NOAA, directs Earth System Research Laboratory and serves as Deputy Assistant Administrator for Research Laboratories and Cooperative Institutes.

Dr. Jonathon R. Pennock, University of New Hampshire, director of both new Hampshire Sea Grant and the Marine Program at UNH.

Dr. Richard W. Spinrad, Oregon State University, Vice President for Research at OSU, previously Assistant Administrator for research for NOAA, and Research Director with the U.S. Office of Naval Research.

Dr. Warren Washington, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Senior Scientist, science advisor to five U.S. presidents.

I am pleased to announce that Helen Diggs, a nationally recognized leader in veterinary medicine and animal welfare, has accepted the appointment as Attending Veterinarian for Oregon State University and Director of the Laboratory Animal Resources Center. Her experience, knowledge and national reputation make her an excellent choice for this critical leadership position. She brings extraordinary leadership to the University’s community of research, education and service.

The Attending Veterinarian has ultimate responsibility for care of all animals involved in research or teaching projects at OSU. The Laboratory Animal Resources Center oversees the care of a wide variety of species, from tadpoles to swine.

Dr. Diggs will provide veterinary guidance on the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, which provides approval for the ethical use of animals. Retaining her academic appointment as clinical professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, she will continue development of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM)-recognized Laboratory Animal Medicine Residency program, in collaboration with Oregon Health Sciences University, to train Doctors of Veterinary Medicine in the specialty of laboratory animal medicine.

Since 2008, she has been OSU’s Director of the Lois Bates Acheson Veterinary Teaching Hospital, as well as Associate Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Her contributions to OSU include consolidation of the small animal, large animal and core services of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and initiation of a comprehensive strategy to assess the quality of clinical services for animal owners and referring veterinarians.

Her own research interests include zoonotic diseases, which can be transmitted between animals to humans.

Dr. Diggs serves on the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, International (AAALAC) Council and recently completed a term as President of ACLAM.

She earned her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from OSU. The OSU Alumni Association selected her as an Alumni Fellow in 2007 and she delivered the 2008 commencement address.

Formerly, she served as Director the Office of Laboratory Animal Care at the University of California, Berkeley and Consulting Veterinarian for the University of California system-wide. She had been Associate Director for veterinary care at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Assistant Professor of animal care at Oregon Health & Science University and Veterinary Medical Officer at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Portland.

In her new roles, effective September 14, 2011, one of her first tasks will be overseeing the University’s evaluation by AAALAC, which acknowledges adherence to Federal regulations to ensure the humane treatment of animals for research, teaching and testing. She will also oversee activation of the Linus Pauling Science Center’s animal facility.

We heartily thank Rick Nelson for serving as Interim Director of LARC and Raymond Baggs, previous Director and Attending Veterinarian, who retired last year.

Receiving almost $281 million in Fiscal Year 2012, with private sector financing of nearly $35 million, OSU is one of only two land, sea, space and sun grant institutions in the U.S., with top tier research designation from the Carnegie Foundation.
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